Chapter 8
8th Episode
The sun rose without fail the next day as well.
I wished I would wake up back home, but my body was still in the Sichuan Tang Clan, and I was holding a broom in my hand.
With a soulless face, I swept the bluestone floor. Dang Jung sat right in front of me, polishing his throwing knives.
"You'll get dust on you if you sit there, Grand Elder. Why don't you go over there? Why are you here?"
I clicked my tongue and swept around Dang Jung, asking, "Grand Elder, didn't you say to come at Shin-shi (3-5 pm)?"
"I did. But calling you after sunset might cause strange misunderstandings. Just clean up while you're at it."
"I see. Heh heh heh. Heh heh heh heh."
I chuckled dryly, gazing at Dang Jung's vast residence.
The dusty building from yesterday had become my responsibility today.
It was daunting. So daunting.
According to Songji, Dang Jung was a sensitive master who refused to let Maids clean his belongings because he didn't like others touching them.
He had even hung a "No Entry" sign. But he also couldn't stand dirt.
He was an eccentric who didn't care about the dust flying around in the reception room but would get angry at a single speck of dust in the tea room. Apparently, a dirty tea room ruined the taste of the tea.
Since he didn't like people entering his residence but wanted the tea room clean, the Maids would climb through the windows to clean and then climb back out.
'People from the Tang Clan get more eccentric as they get older. It must be true. He tells you not to clean, but he gets angry if it's dirty. You be careful too.'
Songji whispered, worried I might go hungry, and slipped a dumpling into my sleeve.
Even Sim-yang, who delivered the message, 'Grand Elder Dang Jung wants to see you,' looked at me with pity. I could tell how high Dang Jung's infamy was among the Maids.
The fact that they got the next day off after visiting Dang Jung's residence showed how terrible his abuse was.
...Shouldn't you just clean it yourself then, Grand Elder?
I stared intently at the back of his head as he focused on maintaining his weapons.
He looks like a normal kid from this angle, but his temper is something else. He's not going to make me clean by climbing through windows, is he?
As if sensing my gaze, Dang Jung spoke, "Have you finished sweeping?"
"Yes? Yes, Grand Elder."
Startled, I squeaked, and Dang Jung chuckled, gesturing.
"Come here."
"Yes."
As I trotted over, Dang Jung held out his palm towards me. He seemed to want me to show him my hand.
Sensing his intention, I extended my palm, and Dang Jung placed his hand on top of mine, clicking his tongue.
"Your hand is too small to hold Hidden Weapons. It needs to be at least three more inches bigger."
Even though we were of similar height, Dang Jung's hand was a full joint longer than mine. It was long and slender, with a beautiful shape.
Does Reverting to Childhood make your hands and feet prettier? While I was having useless thoughts, Dang Jung placed something in my hand.
"Throw it."
It was a coin made of iron.
With a square hole in the middle, it looked like something I'd only seen in textbooks.
As I rubbed the coin between my thumb and forefinger, I felt a rough texture. I awkwardly gripped the coin.
"Where should I throw it?"
"What would be good? Do you see that red cloth tied to that tree?"
"Yes, I see it."
"Try to hit that cloth."
I was dumbfounded by Dang Jung's request. How could a person hit a tree nearly 100 meters away?
Even archers shoot arrows from 70 meters away. There was no way I, a normal person, could throw something 100 meters with pure strength without any equipment.
As I hesitated, Dang Jung urged, "It's okay. Just throw it."
I bit my lip and threw the coin. It would definitely fall before it even reached halfway with my strength...
Huh?
I blinked.
The coin, whistling sharply through the air, was accurately embedded in the center of the red cloth.
"Did you throw it, Grand Elder?"
"No."
I looked back and forth between my hand and the tree trunk. It felt strangely unreal.
It worked?
Why did it work?
Dang Jung's eyes gleamed as he gauged the distance between me and the tree. He handed me another coin.
"Throw it again. This time, at that blue cloth over there."
"Yes."
I received the coin and threw it without much expectation. I might have gotten lucky once, but it would be hard to hit it twice...
Or not?
My eyes widened. The coin, tearing through the center of the blue cloth, was embedded diagonally in the middle of the tree trunk.
What is this? Why is this working?
Dang Jung gestured with his chin.
"Go and get them."
"Yes."
I ran over in a flurry and pulled out the coins, noticing that the corners embedded in the tree were dented.
My mouth dropped open in surprise. Was I this strong? Had I discovered a talent I never knew I had? Then I realized.
This was So-hye's ability.
Just looking at the stamina that allowed her to do laundry all day without getting tired. Her physique was different from the office worker who would be exhausted after just 30 minutes of walking.
Perhaps So-hye's parents were Martial Artists. Physical talent is greatly influenced by genetics.
I brought the two dented coins and held them out. Dang Jung examined them slowly and then spoke.
"You're quite strong. You'll follow the training well."
He stroked his chin with a satisfied expression and then threw the coins far over the wall.
No, Grand Elder. If you throw them over there, I'll have to clean them up.
As I stared in shock, Dang Jung waved his hand as if it was nothing.
"Don't worry about it. I'll bring you a whole bunch."
That's not the point. I wanted to tell him not to litter, but I held it in.
He's like an old man who doesn't understand a Maid's feelings at all.
He put the throwing knives he had finished maintaining into his sleeve and looked up at the sky.
"It's Wu-shi (11am-1pm). Let's eat first."
Then, without waiting for a response, he disappeared into the building. I hurriedly followed him.
* * *
Having eaten only meager meals like rice balls, dumplings, and noodles, the Grand Elder's lunch table looked like a king's feast.
Each dish on the table was piled high with food, and there was a variety of meats and fish.
I was hesitant to share a table with the Grand Elder, but Dang Jung didn't seem to care. He even pushed a plate of meat towards me.
"Eat a lot. You need to grow."
"Thank you, Grand Elder."
It was cognitively dissonant to hear an old man's words of wisdom from the appearance of a child. I forced a smile and carefully picked up my chopsticks.
As I put the seasoned meat in my mouth, the unique spicy flavor of Sichuan cuisine stimulated my tongue.
Dang Jung, watching me chew, propped his chin up and asked, "So-hye, what do you think Martial Arts is?"
Why are you talking about Martial Arts at the dinner table, Grand Elder? I'm going to choke.
I barely managed to swallow the meat I was chewing and replied, "I don't know."
"Just say whatever comes to mind."
"Um... Isn't it training to reach the realm of martial arts that humans can reach?"
"You're smarter than you look."
Dang Jung smiled, pleased with my plausible answer.
"Yes. As you said, many Martial Artists devote their lives to seeing the end of Martial Arts. Me too, and you will soon be one of them."
...Do I really have to? I would like to politely decline your life plan, Grand Elder.
I swallowed my complaint and slowly put down my chopsticks. Dang Jung's dark blue eyes were fixed on me.
Sensing the atmosphere, I met his gaze, and Dang Jung slowly opened his mouth.
"Martial Arts is similar to building a tower. What do you think will happen if you build a tower without solidifying the foundation?"
"It will collapse under its own weight."
"That's right. Martial Arts is the same. If you crave flashy moves before establishing a foundation, you'll end up as a third-rate Martial Artist who achieves nothing."
"Yes."
"Why do you think I'm telling you this?"
"It sounds like you're saying I need to build a good foundation."
"Yes. That's right. Whatever it is, you must take it step by step from the first level. So, So-hye, you will learn External Martial Arts from today."
"External Martial Arts?"
"Yes. You need to build a body that's good for accumulating Inner Energy. Learning the Inner Martial Arts comes after that. Eat this too."
Dang Jung stopped speaking and deboned a piece of fish, placing it on my plate.
So, he's saying I need to build my body first?
I awkwardly rolled my eyes.
It was a similar concept to building basic stamina before starting full-scale exercise.
"But don't be impatient. It's not too late. It doesn't matter if others started at five or twelve. You just need to steadily follow your own path."
His confident voice had a strange power. As if possessed, I nodded, and Dang Jung chuckled.
"Well, it's not something to say now, but I'll tell you again later. For now, eat well. You'll get hungry quickly if you splash around."
A playful look appeared on Dang Jung's face.
Splashing around? Was he going to throw me into the river in the middle of winter? I became anxious.
Surely not?
* * *
Surely did catch me.
As soon as we finished eating, Dang Jung took me to the pond with a glint in his eyes. Feeling a sense of madness in his gaze, I nervously gripped my sleeve.
I had no desire to go into the ice-cold water. As if reading my mind, Dang Jung raised the corners of his mouth.
"You've eaten well, so you need to use your body."
"Grand Elder, aren't there other, more gentle methods?"
Dang Jung lightly ignored my words and handed me a bunch of coins.
"Try to catch fish with coins."
"Yes?"
I tried to understand his words. Thankfully, it didn't seem like he was telling me to go into the pond. Then what did he mean?
Did he mean I should bend the coins to make fishhooks? Or use them as bait?
Dang Jung poked my blank cheek and chuckled.
"Does it seem impossible? Watch carefully."
He lightly flicked his wrist and threw a coin.
The coin flew and pierced through the surface of the water, going right through the fish's gills. It was a clean technique.
Dang Jung leisurely picked up the fish, which had instantly died and floated to the surface, and looked at me.
"That's how you do it. Can you do it?"
Can I?
"Don't worry, I'll make you do it until you can."
He smiled brightly, as if to reassure me.
Is that what you meant by saying I'd get hungry quickly!
I wanted to cry.
